On the massive broadcast screen that linked the Three Realms, the focus suddenly shifted.
The camera centered on a single man.
"O–me?" Oren stammered, his voice cracking with disbelief.
His wide eyes darted left and right as if expecting the image to shift away at any moment. But it didn't. It was him, unmistakably. He could not understand why of all people, the spotlight had landed on him.
From the stage, Fukutsu Jun cleared his throat and began reading aloud with grim determination.
"I hope all employees can unite. Together, we can overcome this crisis. Over."
The note in his hands trembled before he crushed it angrily and hurled it aside.
"What are you doing!" Oren roared, his temper exploding in the silent boardroom. "Are you trying to turn the company into your own personal property?!"
The outburst was so raw, so unfiltered, that the audience watching across the realms burst into laughter.
"Hahaha! This guy's completely losing it!"
"Look at his face! He's so angry it's hilarious!"
"The president is Oren. He can't escape now!"
Even the board members who had been keeping their silence began to murmur in agreement, feeding the chaos.
"Yes, yes! The company doesn't belong to you alone!"
"That's right, it belongs to everyone!"
The meeting dissolved into a cacophony of shouts, accusations, and ridicule. The authority of leadership seemed to melt into farce.
"Everyone, calm down first!" Oren shouted, raising both arms desperately to cut through the noise. His voice trembled, not with fear, but with a strange mixture of sorrow and honesty.
"Actually… I know I am not suitable to be the president," he confessed, his tone softening.
The room fell into an uneasy hush.
"Because…" he paused, taking a deep breath, "my dream is not power. My dream is to make people smile."
The confession stunned the board members, but Oren did not wait for their response. He turned and walked away, his shoulders heavy with resignation.
From the sidelines, Izzy tilted her head curiously, her mechanical eyes narrowing as though she were analyzing data that made no logical sense.
---
Memories in the Elevator
As the elevator doors closed behind him, Oren's mind drifted into the shadows of memory.
He was small again, no more than a child, standing in the warm glow of his father's workshop.
"Dad! Follow me—make faces like this!" Little Oren puffed out his cheeks, crossed his eyes, and contorted his lips into a ridiculous grin.
"Hehehe… Oren, you're so funny," his father chuckled faintly.
But the boy wasn't satisfied. He stomped his foot and complained, "No! Do it again! You're not laughing from the heart at all!"
His father's smile softened. "No matter how many times I try, son… the result is the same."
The boy clenched his fists in determination. "Then I'll keep going until you really laugh! I'll make you smile for real! Just watch my face!"
Before the memory could brighten, the world erupted.
BOOM!
Blue flames roared, devouring the walls of the house.
Little Oren's eyes widened as he saw his father fall amidst the inferno, his body charred, his face streaked with scars. The home around them collapsed into smoldering ruins.
With his final breath, his father's voice reached him, weak but clear.
"Oren… fly towards your dream."
The words etched themselves into Oren's soul.
---
The Dreamland of Laughter
When the elevator opened, Oren found himself standing in an amusement park—the Dreamland of Laughter. Balloons floated, children ran with joy, and the sound of comedians echoed from the stage.
"The next performer, please come up!" the host's cheerful voice rang.
Oren froze, watching a clown juggle as the crowd laughed wholeheartedly. His chest tightened. That was what he had wanted his whole life—to bring smiles, not conflict. His eyes grew moist as the old longing welled up again.
He turned to leave quietly when—
"Let me go!" a panicked cry pierced the festive air.
On stage, a man was hurled brutally to the ground.
The culprit stood tall, muscles rippling, his eyes glowing crimson like twin furnaces. It was Taro—once a fellow entertainer, now something far more sinister.
"My job was to make people laugh," Taro growled. His voice was deep, metallic, inhuman. "But now… my mission is to destroy mankind!"
He raised his arm, and a black device pulsed in his hand.
"Extinction Upgrade—Beroza!"
The transformation was instantaneous. His body twisted, gears grinding, flesh fusing with metal until he became a towering magical machine. His faceplate gleamed like polished iron, his voice now a cold monotone.
"I will kill all humans."
The crowd screamed. Two men rushed him in desperation, but with a flick of his arm, Taro infected them, turning them instantly into magic machines under his command.
"Kill them all."
The new soldiers obeyed without hesitation, storming into the park as fire erupted everywhere.
---
Chaos in the Park
The manager, normally composed, fell to his knees in terror.
"What… what is happening?! This is a theme park! How can this be real?!"
Oren charged forward. "Stop it, Taro!"
But the magical machine swung once, sending Oren crashing to the ground. Blood dripped from his lip as he struggled to stand.
Suddenly, the roar of engines echoed as a convoy arrived. Sleek black cars screeched to a halt, and men in suits leapt out with weapons drawn.
"Attention, tourists!" one of them barked coldly. "We have arrived at the Dream Paradise of Laughter. Commence operation immediately!"
A woman stepped forward, her long hair flowing in the smoke. Though beautiful, her eyes were glacial.
"Collect the data of the out-of-control Humagear immediately," she ordered.
Before she could finish, the young man beside her—Fuwa Jian—snorted. "Don't bother with speeches. Just annihilate them all!"
He raised his rifle and fired mercilessly at the magical machines, each shot echoing like thunder.
The woman groaned. "At least listen before you pull the trigger…"
Amidst the confusion, Oren gasped, "What's going on?! Who are these people?"
Flames devoured the rides and booths as smoke clouded the sky. Children sobbed. The once-bright Dreamland turned into a nightmare battlefield.
The manager's eyes glazed over. "My… my amusement park… my dream!"
Taro seized him by the collar, lifting him like a ragdoll. His laughter was cruel.
"Humans no longer have the right to dream! Hahahaha!"
"No!" Oren staggered forward, desperation burning in his chest. "Don't laugh! You don't even understand! Don't mock the dreams of others!"
Taro's crimson gaze narrowed. "Dreams… the word is defined as an aspiration, goal, or wish for the future. I understand perfectly."
The audience across the Three Realms watching the broadcast froze.
"…Did he just read a dictionary definition?"
"Damn! That's an AI response if I ever heard one!"
"Hahaha! He doesn't get it at all!"
Oren glared, voice breaking with passion. "No! Dreams are not that simple! You can't just search the meaning. You have to live it, struggle for it, bleed for it! Only then do you understand!"
From the sidelines, Izzy's mechanical eyes flickered. For the first time, something beyond data seemed to stir in her gaze.
---
The Birth of a Hero
Oren turned to her. "Izzy! If I had that Driver… I could stop him, couldn't I?"
"Yes," she replied, though hesitantly. "But only the one chosen as the president of our company can—"
"Enough! No more excuses! Give it to me!"
She studied him for a long moment, then nodded. "Understood, Mr. Oren."
From the silver case in her arms, she produced the gleaming belt. "Please equip the Zero-One Driver."
"Zero-One… Driver."
He strapped it around his waist, and in that instant, his consciousness was hurled into another dimension.
"Where… am I?" he gasped.
Before him stretched a vast digital space, stars connected by shimmering circuitry.
Izzy's voice echoed within his mind. "This is our company's communication satellite—Zea. Its thinking circuit is now linked directly to your brain. Your thoughts move with the speed of artificial intelligence."
Oren blinked. "You mean… I can think like AI?"
"Correct. But hurry. If you delay even five seconds longer—you will die."
On the battlefield, Fuwa Jian leveled a new weapon. "Finally… time to use this!" His shot tore through two magic machines, scattering sparks.
Meanwhile, Oren raised the Driver. His voice shook, but determination hardened his eyes.
"Jump! Authorize!"
The locust emblem activated, projecting a holographic swarm. Taro's green blade slashed forward, but a blazing image of a locust intercepted it midair.
Taro's eyes widened. "What?! That attack… blocked?!"
"Program Rise!"
The swarm enveloped Oren, constructing armor piece by piece until his entire body gleamed in green and black steel. Energy pulsed as his transformation completed.
"Rising Hopper! A jump to the sky turns to a rider kick!"
The audience gasped. His form resembled a locust knight—sleek, powerful, unyielding.
Taro stepped back in shock. "Who… are you?"
Oren clenched his fists, the green eyes of his new helmet blazing like fire.
"I am the one who will fly toward my dream—and protect the dreams of humanity!"
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